Luke 4 Jesus is God

 

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

• Just as the Holy Spirit had come upon Him at His baptism, so now Jesus is “full of the Holy Ghost.” The charismatics and Pentecostals seem to think that being “full of the Holy Spirit” is having more of Him in you so that you can act the fool by talking in gibberish, rolling around on the floor, laughing hysterically, or just simply laying in a stupor on the floor.
• But actually, being “full of the Holy Ghost” does not mean that you have more of Him, but that He has more of you. In other words, you are submitted to His will and His leading you. It is yielding your will to His will as it is revealed in the Bible and acting in accord with how He leads you in your thoughts, words and deeds and decisions.
• It still amazes me that we see Jesus, the One who is God in the flesh, submitting Himself to the Spirit of God, and being not just led as we see here, but also in a later verse, empowered by the Holy Spirit. It boggles my mind, but that is what Scripture said would be the case. And it appears that this is one aspect of Christ’s humbling Himself at His incarnation, that He would submit Himself completely to His Father and the Holy Spirit.
• Let’s read Philipians 2:5-11. We see here the humble servant of God, who is God Himself in the flesh and He “made Himself of no reputation.” He left His glory and majesty and came to be the Servant of God. In doing so and then in being “full of the Holy Spirit” and “led by the Holy Spirit” He set the example for us to follow. Just Christ said that without Him we can do nothing, so without the Holy Spirit active in our lives, we can accomplish nothing for Christ. We too, as Pastor has been showing us in His sermons recently, must be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be able to live a fruitful and productive life for Christ.
• As mentioned, the OT Scriptures foretold that the Messiah would have the Holy Spirit upon Him in His work of ministry. Let’s look at some of the passages,
• Isaiah 11:2-4 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
• Jesus would read this next verse to the folks in the synagogue in Nazareth in vs 18-19 of this chapter. Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
• We see again Jesus not using His own innate power and abilities of deity in His ministry. Instead, He relies upon the leading of His Father through the abiding Holy Spirit to carry out the work He came to do.

 

2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

• All through the forty days, He was being put to the test, tempted by the devil. And He fasted from food.
• A common misconception associated with these forty days is that Jesus also did not drink any water. But that is not true. It is nowhere stated in Scripture that He did not drink any water during this period of testing. All it says here and in Matthew is that He did eat no food. Also, if He had gone forty days without water, that would have been the first temptation by the devil, for the devil will nearly always attack the weakest point. And water takes priority over food during a fast. The human body can last several weeks without food, but only a few days without water—aside from divine intervention.
• However, Moses did go forty days without food OR water on his second ascent unto the mount of God, Exo 34:28. But he was there with the Lord in the presence of the Lord’s glory. The Lord could easily have sustained the needs of Moses’ body during those forty days. But the Lord Jesus’ time in the wilderness was without God’s special assistance.
• Also, there is the question of whether or not the Lord Jesus could have sinned. Personally, I do not believe that it was possible for Him to do so. He was “grace and truth” embodied. Let’s read John 1:17 “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” He is truth itself and grace itself, both united together in One person, come in the flesh. If He could sin then He would no longer be Truth.
• I love what John Phillips says of this verse,
• “‘For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ’ (John 1:17). The law was given; grace and truth came. The law was impersonal, pealed out from Mount Sinai amid scenes of terrifying grandeur, engraved on cold tablets of stone, mediated by angels, given to Moses. Grace and truth were wrapped up in warm, vibrant human flesh and brought into this world by Jesus (the man) Christ (the Messiah). ‘He went about doing good’ was Peter’s summary–as grand a statement as any to emphasize our Lord’s grace. ‘Never man spake like this man’ said those sent once to arrest him–as great a statement as any to emphasize our Lord’s truth. Not grace at the expense of truth, not truth at the expense of grace, but grace and truth in perfect proportion–demonstrated in the character, conduct, and conversation of the most balanced person who ever lived on earth. Out of hundreds of possible illustrations John selects a few and weaves his gospel around them: the night with Nicodemus, for example; the conversation with the woman at the well; his dealings with the woman taken in adultery and with her accusers. Thus, the law of Moses contained truth–sharp, demanding, penetrating–embodied in the Decalogue, expanded into some 613 edicts of the law. The law of Moses embodied grace. Human failure to keep the moral law necessitated the giving of the ceremonial law so that guilt could be covered until it could be canceled at Calvary. But it was not until Jesus came that the truth and grace inherent in the law could be fully implemented in a peerless human life and thus be translated into a language all can understand.”
• As to Christ being tempted, McGee says that He wasn’t tempted so much as He was proved. He gives the illustration of when he was a kid in West Texas that they built a railroad trestle over a dry creek bed. After it was constructed they drove a locomotive out onto the bridge and just set it there blowing the whistle. The town folk went out and asked the engineer why he was just sitting there on the bridge and he replied that he was testing it, that is, that they were proving it to be a good bridge, able to handle the weight of the train.
• That is what the tempting of Christ did, it proved to us that believe on Him, that He was able to resist any temptation that the devil could throw at Him. Our Savior is a proven Deliverer and Helper. And as we look at a couple of passages in the book of Hebrews we will find how it is that His having been tempted is a help for us.
• Turn to Hebrews 4 and lets read vss 12-16, “12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
• touched with the feeling … a beautiful way of expressing the Greek sunpathew. Our High Priest knows all about what it is like to be tempted. But He never once yielded to the temptation. He got the victory.
• Our infirmities … This is from the Greek esthenios and in Romans 5:6 it is tranlated without strength. He is not talking about our illnesses or diseases but is talking about the fact that in and of ourselves we do not find the strength to withstand all the temptations that come our way. He knows what we are going through during the trials that would draw us away from Him.
• And we see more about temptation in Hebrews 2:14-18 where we read “14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. {took not…: Gr. taketh not hold of angels, but of the seed of Abraham he taketh hold} 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”
• I love that phrase in vs 14 where it says Christ destroyed him that had the power of death, the devil. That word destroy is from the Greek word katargew and carries this thought “1) to render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative 1a) to cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency 1b) to deprive of force, influence, power 2) to cause to cease, put an end to, do away with, annul, abolish “
• That is one of the most wonderful things that Christ accomplished for us, in providing us with eternal life, we no longer have any need to let the fear of death cripple us. I feel sorry for those who are lost and nearing the end of their days on this earth, not knowing that hell awaits them. What a contrast with those that know the Lord as their Savior and can approach death with the grace that God provides them with great confidence that they will soon be entering into the very presence of their Savior.
• But He also provides our help during the daily living of our life in Him. I love what it says of our Savior in Isa 53:11”He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” When our Savior’s soul was in travail, beginning in the garden just prior to His arrest and culminating on the cross as He was abandoned by His Father, He learned experientially what it is like to go through the dying process, yes. But more so, He suffered that separation from the Father, that all lost mankind has suffered prior to their point of salvation. He learned of death and He knows what it is. By His knowledge, this Righteous One, the servant of God, was able to bring about our justification. And He also justifies all who come to trust Him, to know Him, as their Savior and Lord.
• For He shall bear their iniquities. This looks to the cross where all our sins were nailed. But it also looks to His continuing work as our intercessor. As He intercedes on our behalf, all He has to do is show His scars to satisfy the just demands of any that would bring a charge against His elect. Heb 7:25 “ Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
• Christ, being made like us, of flesh and blood and in having been tempted, yet without sin, and in having died and conquered death and the devil and sin, is able to not just intercede for us as it says in Heb 7:25, but also, to succour us, to bring us the help we need when we face the temptations of life. He is able to provide that mercy and grace that we so desperately need so frequently.
• This too explains why it was that He began His ministry, following His baptism, by immediately being led into the wilderness by the Holy Ghost, there being tempted of the devil, and proving that the devil had no authority over Him.

 

3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

• The devil’s first attack is upon the physical need of the Savior for nourishment. He would have been approaching the point of starvation.
• 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
• The cravings of the flesh. This was the devil’s approach, that which has worked successfully on every other son of Adam, but this One is different. He will not deviate from His Father’s plan and will for Him, for He is not of this world, though He was in it for some thirty odd years.

 

4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

• The Lord’s physical needs for nourishment would be taken care of in the right manner at the right time, not in a manner that the world, nor the devil, would promote and provide.
• He told His disciples at the Samaritan well in John 4:32 “ … I have meat to eat that ye know not of.”
• Every word of God. This shows us that the word of God, is our spiritual food and it is of greater value to us than food for our body.
• Jesus accomplished that which Adam failed, as we read of Eve and then Adam in Gen 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
• Every other nearby tree in the Garden was available for her food, but this is the one she desired, the one forbidden.

 

5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

• Gen 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
• Christ will one day rule all the nations, but first He had to go to the cross and the grave so that He could redeem lost sinners. The cross was necessary before the glory. And the only glory Christ desired was that which He had with His Father. Eve and Adam failed when their eyes were tempted, Christ did not. His eyes remained fixed upon His Father’s will.

 

9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

• Gen 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
• Knowledge puffeth up. Eve desired the wisdom offered by the world and Adam’s race since then has tended to let knowledge swell the head. Acclaim from others, the pride of life, is something that we all battle. That is of the world, not the Father. But that is not our Savior’s way! He saw right through the devil’s lure. He wasn’t going to seek His own self promotion and fame brought about by a publicity stunt.
• People love miracles and love miracle workers. If He had gone this route, then Philipians 2:11 would never have been written “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” As mentioned already, all that Christ desired was to bring glory to His Father, not Himself.
• Crowds would soon enough be flocking to Jesus, but not because of any showmanship, but because He was doing good, teaching and preaching with Holy Ghost power and authority, and doing miracles to help others, not Himself.

13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

• Jesus shows us here how it is that we are to interpret that great prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-3. It is a two-fold prophecy, though Isaiah just saw one prophecy. Some have tried to illustrate the perspective of OT prophecy as if one were on the plains of Colorado looking at the Rocky Mountains in the distance. You can see Pikes Peak, but also many other 14er mountains, those over 14,000 feet in elevation. They all look like they are “right there together” but in actuality, there are many miles and many valleys between most of them. You could climb one and then “off in the distance” is the one that at first looked right next to the one you are on. Turn to Isaiah 61 and we will see two mountain peaks that appear side by side together, but yet, according to our Lord Jesus are separated by many centuries of years.
• “1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
• Our Lord stopped at this point in His reading of this passage and said: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” That shows us that this part of Isa 61 has been fulfilled already, but that the remaining parts of that prophecy have not yet been fulfilled. The day of God’s vengeance is yet future still. But just as the first part of this prophecy was fulfilled, so the second, and third will be as well. We actually see here in Isa 61, prophecies relating to three events, 1) the first advent of our Savior, vss 1-2a; 2) His second advent when He brings an end to the Great Tribulation period (vs 2b); and 3) the blessings that will be poured out upon the Jewish people during Christ’s Millennial Kingdom (vss 2c,,).
• and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
• The remaining verses in Isaiah 61 our Lord left yet to be fulfilled. Our Lord came the first time to save lost sinners. He will come the second time to this earth to conquer His enemies and end the rebellion and then usher in a period of peace that the world has never known since the fall of mankind into sin.
• What did our Lord say that He came to do?
• 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
• he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
• to preach deliverance to the captives,
• and recovering of sight to the blind,
• to set at liberty them that are bruised,
• 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
• The acceptable year of the Lord … acceptable from RaTZoN, Usage: AV – favour 15, will 14, acceptable 8, delight 5, pleasure 5, accepted 4, desire 3, acceptance 1, self-will 1; 56. I think this speaks of what Paul called “the fulness of time” in Gal 4:4. This was the time when all was ready in the world, among the Jews for Christ to come forth and to born and now to begin His ministry of seeking and saving the lost. This was the time when it pleased God to begin this work of Christ.
• he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; … Christ means Anointed One, as does Messiah. And He was the One anointed by the Holy Ghost and His Father, to carry out the work of the Gospel and to preach the Gospel. This word gospel is rendered good tidings in Isa 61.1 and means Good News. That is what we have that Christ has given us to proclaim to everyone, the Good News of free Salvation available in Christ to all who will repent and believe in Him.
• This is for the poor or meek as in Isa 61.1. It means those that are humble. God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble, James 4:6. The Gospel will humble the lost sinner when convicted of his sin and only the humbled, convicted sinner can appreciate, receive and appropriate the Good News of the Gospel. This was the main thing that Christ was proclaiming, or preaching to the Jews that heard Him.
• he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, … The broken-hearted ones are those that are referred to as of a contrite heart in Isaiah 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” And we read this in Isaiah 66:2 “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”
• Good tidings to the humble … Healing of the contrite.
• John Baptist had preached and brought Holy Ghost conviction upon the hearts of those who heeded his preaching, preparing them for the coming of Jesus the Messiah. Their hearts were humbled, their hearts were contrite. Now they were ready for the Good News that Christ was proclaiming.
• to preach deliverance to the captives, … This is a favorite verse for inmates in jail. But the truth is, that sin and sinful thinking and living will capture the soul of all lost men and women and also many Christians. Listen to what Paul counseled pastor Timothy in

2 Timothy 2:24-26 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,  25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

• How much more would the One who is The Servant of the Lord be able to deliver the lost from their captivity of sin that they are held in? When anyone holds the truth in unrighteousness he has fallen into the devil’s trap. Resisting the truth of the word of God causes a person to be a captive of the devil, and normally unwittingly! Notice also that those who resist the truth, are captives of the devil are also used by the devil to carry out his will rather than God’s will. When this happens in churches there is much destruction and devastation that often takes place. We must stick close to the Word of God and follow our Savior and the leading of His Holy Spirit so that we can be useful to our Lord and not to the devil. Jesus in John chapter eight was preaching and teaching about the contrast between His words and the doctrines of the Pharisees, and how that those that opposed Him were children of the devil rather than God’s children.
• He told the Jews that believed on Him how they could be free, John 8:31-36 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” This also Christ preached, that those that would humble themselves before God, whose hearts were broken by their sin could be set free from that sin that bound them and doomed them.
• The last two declarations by Jesus in quoting Isaiah 61:1 here in Luke 4:18 uses two statements in place of the last single statemnt of Isaiah 61:1 which reads “and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” (Literally, “and for the ones who are bound an opening wide”). The two statements Jesus gives are,
• 1) and recovering of sight to the blind,
• and 2) to set at liberty them that are bruised … We will take the first statement first,
• and recovering of sight to the blind, … in a sense, Christ was presenting a wonderful picture of the truth that Paul declares of Israel in Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” and in Romans 11:8 “(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” That blindness was deserved by Israel because as Paul clearly showed in Romans 2 and 3, that the Jews thought that they were righteous, when in truth they did not acknowledge the true purpose of the OT Law in showing them that they were sinners with no defense before God; and that they were in need of a Savior.
• That is the problem with all man-made religion. Judaism added to Scripture the interpretations of the scholars of the Law and their traditions which Jesus rightly condemned them for. And we as Christians also need to be careful that we don’t submit ourselves to any authority that is not pointed out by and supported by rightly dividing the word of Truth, the Bible. If we do so, then we run the risk of being ensnared by the devil and becoming blinded to the truth as it applies to that doctrine that we hold. Jesus, and His words, open the eyes to Truth, to Him, of all that will choose to heed His Word. He came and preached so that blind eyes could once again see.
• This also reminds me of what Paul said relating blindness to the Gospel in,
• 2 Corinthians 4:3-7 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” I think the old English proverb is very apt regarding those that reject the truth, “There are none so blind as those that would not see.” It is either works or grace and Jesus is preaching and offering grace to those that were in the bondage of a works-based salvation.
• We also see Jesus’ use of the blindness of the religious leaders of Israel to the truth of their sin in John 9:35-41,
• “John 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? 36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. 38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. 39 And Jesus said, For judgment, I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. 40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? 41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” The Pharisees sought only their own self-righteousness, not recognizing their sinful condition and own unrighteousness, thus they remained blind. But those that would acknowledge their “blindness” and sinful condition and need of a Savior, would have this “recovering of sight to the blind” that Jesus preached and offered.
• We now see the last statement Jesus gave in preaching Isaiah 61:1
• to set at liberty them that are bruised, … This brings to mind Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.” The ways of this world will never lead to life, peace, and joy. It is just the opposite. Solomon found nothing to be of ultimate value at the end of his days, except to trust and obey the Lord. We need the Lord to save us from the destruction that attends a life of sin.
• to set at liberty them that are bruised, … Literally, “To send away in remission the ones who have been shattered” that is, those whose lives are mired in an oppression that the plague of sinful living has absolutely ruined. Jesus preached that they could be sent away in a forgiven condition, free not just from sin’s penalty but also from its oppression. That is what trusting and following Christ will do for a repentant sinner!
• We don’t need 12 step NA and AA programs to set people free from the bondage of “addictions.” What we need is the preaching of the Gospel and the Words of Christ, trusting the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and a reviving in the hearts of those lost in the depths of sin. The word of God is quick and powerful. It reveals the thoughts and intents of the heart. The Holy Spirit will bring conviction to anyone and everyone that will humble themselves before God and listen to what He is saying to them. God can and will set sinners free.
• Maybe someone here today has a loved one, a friend or an acquaintance that is caught up in the oppression of a life of sin and unrighteousness. Pray that God will bring them to the end of themselves and that they will realize that Jesus can and will set them free from the bondage that the devil has them caught up in. The word of God, being enlightened by the Holy Spirit of God, will deliver anyone who will but repent, change their mind about God and their relationship with Him, turn to Him and receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith to save them and free them. He will do it, He will do it, He will do it!
• I remember a few years ago we were driving to Dallas County Jail and as we were turning onto Commerce Street we saw a man walking away from the jail and towards downtown Dallas on the sidewalk. He had his arms up in the air and he was shouting “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” at the top of his lungs. He was overjoyed to be released, free to go, out of jail. I hope that he had been saved at some point and that he had been disciplined and that he was not only free from incarceration but also free from the bondage and oppression of sin’s power in his life. I still remember him when I think on passages such as this in Luke 4. That man’s response to his release from jail is a good picture of the absolute joy each and every one of us who have believed the Gospel of Christ should continue to have the rest of our days on this earth, and on into eternity, forever rejoicing in the liberty that Christ has procured for us.
• Christ is in the soul saving and soul delivering ministry still today, working through members of His churches. Let’s make ourselves available this week to be used by Him in that foundational ministry of reaching out to lost souls with the Gospel of Christ and the Word of Christ.

22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

• Wondered … Thaumadzw AV – marvel 29, wonder 14, have in admiration 1, admire 1, marvelled + 2258 1, vr wonder 1; 47
• And at what were they amazed? “The gracious words that were coming out of His mouth.” Jesus was “full of the Holy Ghost”, vs 1 and was “led by the Holy Ghost” vs  1 and He had returned to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit”, vs 14. He was preaching with Holy Ghost power, conviction, and authority. But there was only one problem, the people in Nazareth did not see Him as an approved preacher, let alone the Messiah of God. He was preaching these amazing, words of grace, and yet they could only see the carpenter’s son, the grown boy that had grown up in their midst. Now, He is preaching to them? They won’t hear of it. Their unbelief was willful.

 

23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

• John 2:18 “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?”
• 1 Corinthians 1:22 “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”

24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

• A sign would not benefit them. They would still just “know Jesus after the flesh” and not in the spirit as their Messiah. God could not work in the lives of the people of the Northern Kingdom, generally speaking, because from the top down they were away from Jehovah and mostly into idolatry.
• So, here in Galilee, Jesus could not bless them because of their unbelief in Him and His words. And their rejection was being hardened and steeled as we continue to read,

 

28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

• Amazingly, He was able just to simply pass through their very midst, a group of men enraged at Him and rushing Him up to the cliff to throw Him off it.
• It was not yet the time for His vicarious death. Nor was this the manner by which He was to die.
• In Mark 6:1-6 this same account tells us that Jesus was amazed that He could do no miracles there due to their unbelief.

 

31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

• Capernaum would now become what you might call his HQ, or base of operations. This is where the fishers were that He would turn into fishers of men.

 

32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

• Astonished … they were struck with amazement by His doctrine or teachings. Why so?
• For His word was with power … His word was carried with authority. He was meek, but when He spoke, everyone listened. Remember, He was led by and full of and proceeding by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 

33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,

34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.

36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

• From what I have been able to understand, history says that there were many Jews that practiced the art of driving out or away evil spirits. But it was nearly always done with superstitious, mystical arts, not with or by the authority of the word of God. Acts 19:13-16 tells us of some unbelieving Jews that used the name of Jesus to attempt to exorcise evil spirits, but they failed and were overcome by the demonic man they were trying to help. They used the name of Jesus, but not with the authority that is ours in Christ.
• Christ though had the authority and the ability to cast our evil devils that possessed lost folks. It was simply by His word that they had to obey and leave. No superstition, no incantation—just the word, the command, and it was done.
• Notice also that He rebuked the evil devil for proclaiming Jesus as the Holy One of God. Jesus would not allow devils to proclaim Him. He would allow the rocks to proclaim Him if need be, but never allow a devil to proclaim Him before men. The Pharisees would wrongly accuse Him of being the lord of the devils but refused to acknowledge Him as the Lord of lords, and the One who ruled not just over the angels, but also the One who will one day judge the devils to eternal hell.
• The result, after He had cast out this devil from the man was that,

 

37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.

38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.

39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

• He also has authority and power over diseases and sicknesses.
• Also, notice in vs. 38 that Simon Peter had a wife. Seems this would disqualify him from being a priest, let alone the first pope of the Roman Catholic cult.

 

41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.

43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

 

Peter’s description in Acts 10:38 is a very apt description of the work of ministry here begun of our Savior, “He went about doing good.” Verse two of O To Be Like Thee states well the desire that should be ours,

“O to be like Thee! Full of compassion.

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.”

And then the chorus,

“O to be like Thee, o to be like Thee,

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thous art,

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.”